Dragon Training, Take 1
by Uovoc
Summary: Hiccup guides Snotlout's hand to the Nightmare's nose...and the teens magically turn up just in time to save Stoick and Gobber from being incinerated. What went on in the interim? And what's all that fluff about the dragon choosing the rider, anyways? Tuffnut ain't teaming with the Terror.


"See?" said Hiccup. "Nothing to be afraid of." He hoped desperately that his statement remained true.

Snotlout looked just one sudden move on the Nightmare's part from wetting his pants. Because Snotlout was utterly petrified, Hiccup had to gently steer him around its head. He hoped Lout coulddn't feel his hands shaking.

"Ooookay, now you're just gonna get right up here, watch out for that neck spike—"

"What?!" hissed Snotlout, spinning around. "You want me to put this"—he pointed at his rear—"on that?"—he jabbed a stubby finger at the Nightmare. "It could burst into flames at any second!"

"Which he hasn't," Hiccup said pointedly. _Yet_, he added in his mind, just to make this statement really foolproof. "He's perfectly safe." Given how things had turned out at his last appearance in the ring, he couldn't blame them for not buying that little white lie. Which was why befriending the Nightmare was crucial. The rest of the dragons would be smooth sailing. (Speaking of sailing, it must have been almost an hour since their parent had departed. Berk was the size of, well, Berk. How could it have taken so long for him and Astrid to find four teens when two of them were nearly conjoined, one was basically a furry mattress, and one never left Astrid alone?)

"Hiccup, there is no way I'm getting on that thing!"

"You have to trust me. Trust _him_." He was pleading with the dragon, too. He truly, truly wished that there was enough time for them to properly get to know each other. But if they didn't hurry, the Queen was going to have the best meal of her life. He gave the Nightmare a plaintive look, which it acknowledged with a lazy wink of one slit-pupiled eye. 

It opened its jaws wide, but couldn't close them again, because it had Snotlout lodged between its teeth. It shook him about like a dead fish.

"It's gonna eat him!" yelled Ruffnut in great excitement.

"A-actually, the Monstrous Nightmare prefers to set its prey on fire and consume it while still lit," babbled Fishlegs.

"Hiccup," shrieked Astrid. "Do something!"

"Mmmmfffgh," went bits of arm and leg that protruded beyond the dragon's mouth.

"Uh, uh, don't eat him, he doesn't wash…!" Great, just fantastic, way to start out on the right foot, at least it was Lout, no, don't think that, you gotta save him—

The Nightmare appeared to be enjoying itself to no end. With a sharp jerk of its head, it tossed Snotlout high into the air (like a cat toying with a mouse, they all thought miserably)…and caught him neatly on its neck. Everyone winced in sympathy, even Ruff. Astride the dragon, Snotlout squeaked. The Nightmare surveyed their stupefied faces with a look of immense satisfaction.

"Cool!" burst out the twins.

Astrid was silent, because she wasn't breathing.

"I think I'll, uh, stick with the Gronkle," muttered Fishlegs weakly.

To Hiccup's relief, the Gronkle was positively docile by comparison. Not for the first time, he wondered if dragons knew how to behave around specific people. Nah, he thought dryly, thinking about Toothless's meet-and-greet with Astrid. Well, two down, three to go. Scratch that, Astrid was already perched atop the Nadder.

"Figures, you choose the pretty one," smirked Tuffnut. The Nadder's tail spikes didn't miss him by inches. Astrid patted her dragon wonderingly and, noted Hiccup, gleefully. Only the twins were left now.

"I call the Zippleback!" Ruffnut shouted.

"Aww, man, I wanted that one," whined her brother. He turned to Hiccup. "Hey, what else you got?"

"Uh, that's it, actually." They were a Viking village, not a traveling reptile show. "Except, well, there's this." He gestured weakly at the Terrible Terror.

Tuffnut gulped, backing away. "Yeah, very funny." Everyone else agreed. Even Astrid was grinning.

Hiccup sighed. They were losing precious time. He figured their parents would reach the nest in less than an hour, provided that Toothless cooperated. Not that he had much of a choice, given that he was trapped on a ship with a tribe of heavily armed Vikings. _Lead them in a couple circles, bud. I'm on the way. _When Toothless had taken him and Astrid, the trip there had taken forever. On the other hand, the flight back to Berk had felt like minutes. (It may, he mused, have had something to do with the fact that they were surrounded by wild dragons on the way there, while Astrid had clung to him the entire way back.) He guessed that the nest was nearer rather than farther; the dragons had made Berk their happy hunting ground, after all.

But this group was made up of inexperienced riders and dragons, and, gods, they hadn't even tried to fly yet. No fancy saddles or safety lines for them, no sir, just a plain coil of rope, thankeeverymuch. It was a good thing most of them had never flown before, because that meant they hadn't nearly fallen to their deaths, unlike Hiccup. Apparently the sensation of falling was a common nightmare; it was infinitely worse when you were still awake. He'd woken up in a cold sweat for days afterwards, the crazy screeching, rushing sound of the wind lingering in his ears...Oh, and he needed a plan. There was no way he'd be able to stop the ships short of blowing them up. Considering that Toothless was chained on board, that wasn't an option. He was certain that his father's plans for the dragon didn't include a return trip to Berk. Hiccup's own crazy idea had pretty much consisted of "Get the others in the ring with a bunch of dragons _without_ anyone attacking anyone else." Tacked on at the end was, "Maybe, possibly, somehow, fly to the ships, Odin, Thor, whoever's out there, it has to work, it can't not work, aaaaaaargh, we're gonna die." He hadn't even thought about what came next, assuming their parents weren't already reduced to digestive juices. Or ashes.

"Well, there's two heads," said Astrid, jerking Hiccup out of his private Looming Volcano of Doom. "This may seem like a novel idea, but you guys could share."

"Oh, perfect. Now I'm stuck with her. This is all because we're twins, right?" grumbled Tuffnut as he sidled toward the Zippleback.

"What, you don't like me?" said Ruffnut, targeting his jaw with surgical precision.

"Hey, what about Hiccup?" called Snotlout. "You don't even have a dragon, O great trainer."

Hiccup's heart sank even further. At this rate it would hit bedrock. Damn! How could he not have thought of that? Stupid! Useless! While he furiously tried to think of both a solution and a snappy comeback, Astrid came to his rescue.

"He," she said as though stating the obvious, "is coming with me."

The smug look jumped off Snotlout's face and landed on Hiccup. Meanwhile, his own expression of horror, displaced by the new tenant, settled into the newly vacated lot nearby.

"Okay, guys," said Hiccup, hopping up next to Astrid. He tried to sound as if he had confidence in them. "Let's fly."

At least they were all wearing helmets.

They (meaning those shadowy-featured powers at Dreamworks) probably cut the first group training for time/budget reasons. Sure, it would have been fun to see, but I approve of their decision, story-wise. It makes the miraculous appearance of the dragon riders seem even more, well, miraculous. When they turn up, there's a ridiculously upbeat riff on the "Dragon Battle" theme that's a blast. That trumpet! Those chimes! It just makes you go, What the hell?

Guess the Terror missed out on the battle.


End file.
